THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2024 81 also on the tough days. Today is one of those tough days.” Secretary Blinken told the media, “Someone once said, soccer is life, with ups and downs.” All seemed lost. Fans destroyed buses outside the stadium in Abidjan. The coach, a Frenchman, even resigned in embarrassment. At independence in 1960, Côte d’Ivoire had a bright future, with a French-trained administration and close ties to France. While neither Côte d’Ivoire’s political class nor its population has rejected France in the way that some of its neighbors have, it’s clear that Ivoirians no longer want to be a dumping ground for a mediocre French coach. Instead of bringing in another one, the football federation decided to promote deputy coach Emerse Faé. As a former Ivoirian national team player, he is the right man for the job. e AFCON involves competition at many levels. Also visiting Côte d’Ivoire this past January was Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. In the strategic competition between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the U.S. has lots of advantages—including democratic governance, technology, and cultural power. But so does China: notably, its willingness to build infrastructure, like soccer stadiums. If geopolitical competition is a popularity contest, then building a soccer stadium for a country hosting a major soccer tournament is about as strong a move as a country can make. We countered, however, with a stronger move and clear message that as a result of U.S. investments, especially in public health, tens of thousands of fans are alive and healthy to fill the AFCON stadiums. More than all the investments in stadiums, hotels, and roads, and more than the opportunity to host players and fans from across Africa in the “AFCON of Hospitality,” hosting the tournament showed the continent and the world that Côte d’Ivoire is back. The first two decades of independence were successful (as the world’s leading producer of the main ingredient in chocolate, Côte d’Ivoire had become known as the “Saudi Arabia of cacao”). But the good times couldn’t last forever. Commodity prices dropped in the 1980s, and in 1993 Father Time eventually caught up to founding president, Félix Houphoët-Boigny. The 1990s and 2000s found Côte d’Ivoire in crisis, consumed in a series of succession battles. Rebel leaders occupied swathes of the country in the early 2000s, and for a few strange, dangerous months in 2011, the country had two presidents at the same time. e In the round of 16, the Elephants face Senegal, the AFCON defending champs and one of the favorites to win the tournament. Senegal scores the first goal just four minutes into the game. Then, something unexpected happens. For the first time in the tournament, Côte d’Ivoire plays with heart and conviction. The Elephants give it all they have and end up winning on penalty kicks. Up next, the Elephants face Mali in the quarterfinals … and more geopolitics. Although Mali and Côte d’Ivoire share a border, and millions of Malians live in Côte d’Ivoire, the countries aren’t exactly best friends—at least right now. Mali’s current leader came to power in a coup in 2021 and formed the Alliance of Sahel States along with military regimes in Burkina Faso and Niger. Côte d’Ivoire, conversely, is a leader in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), urging its neighbors to return to democracy. Yet, on Jan. 28, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, also members of ECOWAS, all publicly announced their withdrawal from that multilateral organization, less than a week before the Côte d’Ivoire– Mali face-off. An Ivoirian defender draws a red card in the first half, forcing Côte d’Ivoire to lose a player on the field. Down a man, and then down a goal, all seems lost again. Somehow, the Elephants power through, tying the game in the final minute of regulation, then scoring the winning goal against Mali in the final minute of extra time. e The final match is against Nigeria. Nobody can talk about anything else. An entire country is wearing orange (the Elephants’ color). I head out to watch the game with a group of colleagues, hundreds of new friends in orange jerseys, and several buckets of Budweiser. Walking to the fan zone in my orange jersey, I get lots of high fives. I no longer feel isolated in my embassy bubble but rather like one fan among millions supporting a team once down and now moving up. Nigeria scores first. In the 62nd minute, Côte d’Ivoire gets the equalizer. The audience is tense. Both teams are giving it all they have. In the 81st minute, the “Coup de Marteau”—the title of a ubiquitous song by 25-year-old Ivorian Tam Sir that translates to the “Hammer Blow”—is delivered. Sebastian Haller, only two years out from a testicular cancer diagnosis, finds the back of the net. The Elephants, and this country, have made an improbable comeback. n
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